1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for rolling out dough of uniform thickness. More particularly, the present invention relates to a device that attaches to a conventional rolling pin. Most particularly, the present invention relates to a system of disks and clips that attach to a rolling pin to allow the rolling out of dough of uniform thickness.
2. Background Information
In the preparation of baked or fried goods, bakers mix flour with a liquid such as milk, water, or the like and other ingredients to form a plastic mass or dough in the preparation of bread, pastries, doughnuts and the like. After the dough is prepared, a rolling pin having a cylindrical body with a handle at each end is often used to roll out the batch of dough until the dough is approximately at a desired thickness. Often, the batch of dough is rolled into a generally circular mass having a diameter greater than the length of the cylindrical body of the rolling pin. This is accomplished by placing the rolling pin at the center of the batch and moving it radially outwardly, while applying a downward pressure on the handles at opposite ends to spread the dough to a desired thickness.
With this type of rolling pin, it is difficult to obtain a constant dough thickness, particularly from batch to batch of the dough, because the rolled out batch of dough covers the base material on which it is being rolled so that the thickness may be judged accurately only at the periphery of the mass. Also, if more pressure is applied to one handle than the other, or if more pressure is applied at the center of the mass rather than at the periphery, the thickness of the mass of dough will be non-uniform.
Some examples of inventions involving rolling pins and similar devices for which patents have been granted include the following.
Heissenbuttel, in U.S. Pat. No. 39,916, describes a rolling-pin A, which consists of a cylinder a, with flanges b, one at each end, and a handle, c. The flanges b of the finishing-pin ought to be made of metal and screwed to the ends of the wooden cylinder a, and the handle is placed loosely through the center of the cylinder, so that the latter can turn freely on the same, or the handle may be firmly secured to the cylinder, and, in this case, it must he permitted to turn in the hands as the cylinder rolls along.
In U.S. Pat. No. 353,177, Taylor discloses a pair of wheeled supports, each of which attach to one handle of a rolling pin. The wheeled supports elevate the main roller A above the surface on which the wheels K contact. The clearance beneath the main roller is adjusted by turning a screw N having a head M on each wheeled support.
Weber, in U.S. Pat. No. 359,480, describes a roller-knife that has a metallic shaft on which slips a series of circular blades with interspersed spacers to hold the blades apart a selected distance. Each end of the shaft has a handle for drawing the roller-knife across a sheet of dough to cut the dough into strips.
In U.S. Pat. No. 534,460 Wolff et al. disclose a rolling pin having spacing collars D at opposite ends of its cylindrical body A. Spindles C extend beyond the collars and are provided at their outer extremities with threaded tenons F. Gage wheels B are fitted loosely on the spindles C, to bear against the spacing collars D, and having a greater diameter than the cylindrical body, with thimbles E fitted loosely on the spindles C to bear against the gage wheels B and serving as the handles for the manipulation of the rolling pin. Nuts F are fitted on the threaded tenons to hold the thimbles in place. In one embodiment, the gage wheels B are made integral with the cylindrical body A and separated therefrom by reduced portions D, which are equivalent to the spacing collars D. The gage wheels B are grooved circumferentially to receive the tires G, which are employed to elevate the cylindrical body A of the rolling pin the desired distance above the rolling board to gage the thickness of the sheet of dough to be rolled uniformly by the pin.
U.S. Pat. No. 550,337 by Wolff et al. describes a similar rolling pin having graduated journals D–E between the sleeved handle C and the end of the cylindrical body A, in combination with a gage wheel or ring G, which is adapted to fit any one of the graduations of the journal D–E and to sustain the pin body A at different distances from the rolling surface.
In U.S. Pat. No. 1,534,907, Broecker discloses a rolling pin fitted on the ends with discs 3 of larger diameter than the body 1 of the pin. The discs 3 are removably held in position by screws 5 that protrude from the end of the body. The discs 3 are biased against the screw heads 5 by internal springs 6 to prevent the discs from falling off during use. Note, in particular, FIGS. 1, 3 and 5, showing the discs 3 held in place by the screws 5 and internal springs 6.
Lewis, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,339,492, describes a laminating roller 28 having a cylindrical drum 34 mounted on a hollow axle 38. The end sleeves 36 are each provided with an annular flange 40, which are spaced apart from the ends of the drum and operatively engage the groove 24 to maintain the roller in proper operative relation relative to the bed. The annular flanges 40 are a unitary part of the hollow axle.
In U.S. Pat. No. 2,920,389, Nurmi discloses a device for cutting dough into strips. The device includes an axle 15 upon which a plurality of cutting disks 16 are rotatably supported on the axle. The disks are mounted on the axle such that moving the device over a table, all the disks will cut and divide the sheet of dough into strips, regardless of variation in thickness of the dough or unevenness in the surface of the table.
Kuzyk, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,994,652, describes a combined rolling pin and dough cutter. It is made up mainly of a central shaft provided with a handle at each end and a series of abutting cylindrical rollers, all of the same diameter, which rotate freely upon the central shaft to function as a rolling pin. To perform as a dough cutter, a series of circular cutting discs are inserted between the rollers. These discs are of a larger diameter than the rollers, so that their cutting edge extends beyond said rollers. One handle of the shaft is permanently fixed to the shaft, while the other handle unscrews from the shaft to allow the insertion of the rollers and discs. One of the handles of the shaft is bored with a longitudinal hole into which is inserted a center pin, which is used for cutting circular sections of dough used in pie making. This is accomplished by inserting the center pin into holes provided in the central shaft, inserting one of the cutting discs a predetermined distance from the center pin, and rotating the cutting disc in a circle with the center pin as its center.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,045,850, Brandes discloses a pin for rolling dough to variable thicknesses, the variability being under immediate control by the baker. The pin carries a rotatable gage permanently mounted on the roller in such a way that the baker can almost instantly vary the thickness of the dough that he is about to roll without substituting elements on the rolling pin and/or altering the relationship of the physical elements on the rotatable gage that make the variable thickness of the dough possible.
Abrams, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,435,145, describes an apparatus for rolling plastic material such as bread dough or cookie dough, so that the material has a substantially constant thickness throughout the entire mass. The apparatus includes an elongated cylindrical body having an outwardly extending axial handle at each end, and each of the handles has a selected gauge wheel removably mounted at the outer end thereof.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,521,174, Kornhauser discloses a dough manipulator adapted for manually controlling the thickness of dough, which comprises a roller with handles and means for maintaining the roller at a predetermined height above a surface, wherein the means for maintaining the height of the roller is placed at a predetermined distance from the ends of the roller. Height maintaining means include spacer rings positioned on the roller or spacer strips positioned on the surface. The manipulator is used in conjunction with a surface which is substantially flat.
Conkey in U.S. Pat. No. 4,718,769 describes a dough preparation apparatus of the “dough docker” type, consisting of a shaft having a central region upon which a plurality of individual rollers are mounted in side-by-side relationship defining a roller stack. Radially extending teeth are defined upon each roller, and a gauging roller is mounted at each end of the stack of a diameter slightly greater than that of the stack rollers. Tubular sleeves are rotatably mounted upon the shaft end regions defining handles, and bolts threaded into the shaft ends maintain the assembly of components.
While the present invention is amenable to various modifications and alternative forms, specifics thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the intention is not necessarily to limit the invention to the particular embodiments described. On the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.